Letters

Contact us via e-mail (letters@ocweekly.com), regular mail (Letters to the Editor, OC Weekly, P.O. Box 10788, Costa Mesa, CA 92627) or fax (714-708-8410). Letters will be edited for clarity and length. All correspondence must include your home city and a daytime phone number.

OH, BABY

While I understand that things are tough for Orange County's Mexican janitors (Nick Schou's "Moving On Up," Jan. 31), the fact is things are tough for everyone right now. Here's what I don't understand: Ofelia Olvera says, "I'd like to be able to rent an apartment with two rooms but then I wouldn't be able to buy food during the last half of the month." As sad as that seems, it loses something when I read at the beginning of the article that Olvera decided to have five kids! If you can't afford to feed them, don't have them. It's that simple. There's free birth control available.

I found Gustavo Arellano's attack on both the Register and the Miami Herald—for the story about politicized Latin pop—amusing ("LowBallAss-Chatter," Feb. 7).First he says that Jordan Levin used to work for the Register. Wrong. Jordan has never worked for the Register. But outside of those pesky little things called details, Mr. Arellano missed the point of the story, which was that mainstream Latin pop was starting, however tentatively, to get political. So in reference to Jordan Levin, you don't have to worry about further "humiliating him," to use your words. After all, Jordan Levin is a woman. Oh, forgot: details.

Hey, how 'bout you guys write on where to go for free or close to free. Cuz I'm one poor Mexican.

Will Ramirez
via e-mail

The editor responds:Last week, someone asked us to start a book section, even though we've had one since the paper started. Now you ask us to list free stuff? Dude, I just looked in our Calendar for, like, one minute and found a free jazz performance of the Charlie Valentine Trio featuring Ron Kobayashi at Bistango in Irvine, flamenco dancing at Alegria in Long Beach, and Sierra Club hikes all over the place, as well as a meeting in Costa Mesa of the Coalition Against Unnecessary Wars and Racism. There's plenty of other stuff, and there always is. Take a look. It's free. (A word to the wise: don't miss that anti-war gig. Peaceniks are easy.)

WE WIN!

Since the beginning, Nativo Lopez tried to discredit the recall effort by asserting those against him were wealthy white right-wing extremists (or rich white pigs, if you literally translate his rantings in Spanish). Then, in a response in Letters to the Editor (Feb. 7), your paper wrote that it was Republicans who organized this "grass-roots" effort and caused the recall to happen. Not so. The volunteers who spent countless hours during the past year on this campaign came from the entire political spectrum.

As a gay couple, we think we can hardly be classified as right-wing, yet we participated on a daily basis in the recall effort. There were recall advocates who were left of us and those who were right of us. In addition to fighting our common enemy, Nativo Lopez, the recall advocates had to fight each other to ensure the recall remained a nonpartisan, citywide effort. Yes, there were actions by the right-wing elements that nearly blew this coalition apart. But there were also actions by disciples of Nativo who helped cement this coalition together. And as the polls indicate, 71 percent of those casting ballots wanted Lopez gone. These votes came from all political persuasions, all nationalities and economic stature. Thankfully there were people like Ron Unz, Rob Richardson and Tim Whitacre and the many volunteers and voters of all political persuasions who stepped up to the plate to oust this most dangerous politician, regardless of which party we or he belonged to.

I loved Kelly Flynn's review of The Day Maggie Blew Off Her Head("Blow Job," Feb. 7). I could just picture Flynn with that brick in hand ready to smash it in the face of the female playwright. Fucking women, bitching about the world bringing them down. I pictured the blood oozing down her fucking face. Flynn, we should hang out. Beating up women who like to bitch. Blow job, indeed! After we picked up a couple of high-class hookers, we could force them to fellate us while we smoked our cigars. Women. Holy Christ. When will they learn? Hollywood is about subtlety. Fuck Sylvia Plath, Kate Chopin, Gloria Steinem. Leave wild chaotic theatrical ventures to those limp-wristed faggots and their zany Great White Way musicals and AIDS melodramas. Women, sit down, shut the fuck up and eat a motherfucking brick. Oh, and while you're down there, suck it. Right, Flynn? Right?